A craft beer resource brewing in Lakeland

Thursday

Mar 21, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Business can supply everything from ingredients to marketing

Staff and Wire Reports

Lakeland is poised to become a major player in Florida's craft beer scene.

Brew Hub, a St. Louis-based company founded by former Anheuser-Busch executives, chose Lakeland's Interstate Commerce Park near Interstate 4 as the site of a new brewery cooperative, giving local, small-scale craft brewers a chance to go big.

"Brew Hub will allow great craft brewers to grow their businesses by expanding into new markets they otherwise could not reach," company chief executive Tim Schoen said. "This is the most exciting time in history to be in the beer business."

The nation's craft beer industry last year saw a 17 percent rise in dollar growth, according to the Brewers Association. Craft beer now makes up 6.5 percent of the total U.S. beer market, in terms of volume, up from 5.7 percent the previous year.

Southwest Florida has its share of the excitement.

A Sarasota production brewery, to be called JDub's Brewing Co., is in the planning stages. Founder Jeremy Joerger, a disabled former Army staff sergeant who recently moved to Sarasota from Washington, D.C., says he has picked a site and is arranging loans. He hopes to open in six to eight months.

Meanwhile, Motorworks Brewing is gearing up for an operation in Bradenton's Village of the Arts, with plans for a small taproom and outdoor patio this spring and a round-the-clock brewery by fall.

Motorworks Brewing owners Frank and Denise Tschida are thinking big: a brewery that could produce up to 65,000 barrels of beer a year and seat 100 people indoors, a tasting room and an outdoor beer garden and stage.

Manatee economic development officials expects 30 new jobs and a $1.8 million economic impact during the next five years.

A 2014 start for brewing

Months in the works for Lakeland, the proposed Brew Hub brewery could begin construction next month, with brewing under way by the summer of 2014.

Initial plans call for an operation of more than 50,000 square feet, with a brewing capacity of 75,000 barrels, or 1 million cases. The product will be packaged on site and stored for distribution. The brewery will include a tasting room and retail store.

Brewers will choose from a variety of options, including assistance with recipes, ingredients, aging and full laboratory services for chemical and microbiological analyses.

Unlike contract brewing operations, which make beer to a client's specifications, Brew Hub is more of a full-service concept that includes sales and marketing expertise, pricing strategy and guidance through the legal hoops of interstate sales and transportation.

"This is a very new concept. There's definitely issues with shipping beers clear across the country," said Joey Redner, CEO of Cigar City Brewing in Tampa.

Redner, who just four years into his enterprise has become something of a craft beer wunderkind, said he thinks he is a good fit for Brew Hub, and has already met with Schoen to discuss business.

"There's a lot of specifics to figure out, but the general outline is obviously attractive to a small business that's experiencing a lot of growth," he said.

The Cigar city story

Cigar City grew fast, going from 5,000 barrels a year to an estimated 25,000 barrels for 2013. Named the No. 1 hottest startup in the country in 2010 by Entrepreneur magazine, Cigar City expanded into six states up and down the East Coast.

"I suspect if we were able to strike a partnership with them (Brew Hub) we would probably be able to go into states that we've had to pull out of," he said.

There likely are other craft brewers in Florida lining up behind Redner to team with Brew Hub.

"The Brew Hub is an idea that's time has come," said J. Paul Pepin, of Tampa's Pepin Distributing.

"The demand for craft beer in our area is almost endless, and, while the local craft beers are excellent, beer drinkers also want access to beers they've had in their travels. Brew Hub will allow us to deliver these beers fresh and in a way that makes good business sense for brewer, wholesaler, retailer and, most importantly, the consumer."

Plans call for five regional breweries during the next five years. Brew Hub is considering sites in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Texas and the West Coast.

The company is receiving financial assistance from The Yucaipa Cos., a Los Angeles-based holding company focused on private equity investments. The company, founded by billionaire Ron Burkle, has stakes in Wild Oats Markets, A&P and Supervalu.